1. Technical Field
The present invention relates generally to assembly tooling and more particularly to tooling for the installation of hose clamps.
2. Discussion
It is common place in the manufacture of modern vehicles to utilize flexible hoses to direct various vehicle fluids in a desired manner. As compared to rigid fluid conduits, flexible hoses are generally low in cost and easily installed and serviced. Despite the advantages of flexible hoses, several drawbacks have been noted.
One particular drawback concerns the labor required to subassemble and install a hose, particularly where engine or vehicle components are in close proximity to one another and render conventional hose clamp repositioning tools difficult to employ. The subassembly operation typically requires that a pair of hose clamps be opened or spread sufficiently and installed to the ends of the hose. Thereafter, the assembly is positioned in a desired manner, the ends of the hose are coupled to various fluid connectors and the clamps are opened a second time and repositioned over portions of the hose that are adjacent to the connectors.
In areas where engine or vehicle components are in close proximity to one another, a substantial amount of labor may be expended to reposition the hose clamp in a desired manner. The labor associated with the first opening of the clamps and their initial positioning does not add value to the device manufactured and as such, unnecessarily increases the cost of the vehicle. Furthermore, as the task of opening and repositioning each of the clamps is performed manually, this operation increases the risk that the device manufactured will have a defect, such as an improperly relocated clamp. Such defects require additional labor efforts to diagnose and repair.
To alleviate these problems, a retainer has been developed which engages the tangs of the spring-type hose clamps when the clamp is positioned in an expanded condition. The retainer effectively eliminates the need to re-open or spread the hose clamps to permit the hose to be installed to the connectors. Furthermore, the labor associated with repositioning has been eliminated through the use of retaining means which cause the hose clamp to be retained in a given area of the hose while it is being retained in an expanded condition. Such retaining means include adhesives or mechanical fastening.
While the use of the retainer has improved the efficiency with which a spring-type hose clamp may be installed in some situations, a new problem, the removal of the retainer in a controlled manner, was encountered. More specifically, while the retainer was easily pried from the tangs of the hose clamp, the energy released by the retainer as it was removed generally caused the retainer to be propelled away from the hose and clamp. Consequently, the issues with the uncontrolled removal of the retainer included the loss of the retainer, damage to the device manufactured as a result of the retainer impacting or becoming lodged into the device, and the safety of the technician installing the hose and those in the surrounding area.